Enzymes have been used within the detergent industry as part of washing formulations for more than 30 years. Proteases are from a commercial perspective the most relevant enzyme in such formulations, but other enzymes including lipases, amylases, cellulases, hemicellulases or mixtures of enzymes are also often used.
The search for proteases with appropriate properties include both discovery of naturally occurring proteases, i.e., so called wild-type proteases but also alteration of well-known proteases by e.g., genetic manipulation of the nucleic acid sequence encoding said proteases.
One family of proteases, which is often used in detergents, is the subtilases. This family has been further grouped into 6 different sub-groups (Siezen and, 1997, Protein Science 6: 501-523). One of these sub-groups, the Subtilisin family was further divided into the subgroups of “true subtilisins (I-S1)”, “high alkaline proteases (I-S2)” and “intracellular proteases”. Siezen and Leunissen identified also some proteases of the subtilisin family, but not belonging to any of the subgroups. The true subtilisins include proteases such as subtilisin BPN′ (BASBPN), subtilisin Carlsberg (ALCALASE®, NOVOZYMES NS) (BLSCAR), mesentericopeptidase (BMSAMP) and subtilisin DY (BSSDY). The high alkaline proteases include proteases such as subtilisin 309 (SAVINASE®, NOVOZYMES A/S) (BLSAVI) subtilisin PB92 (BAALKP), subtilisin BL or BLAP (BLSUBL), subtilisin 147 (ESPERASE®, NOVOZYMES A/S), subtilisin Sendai (BSAPRS) and alkaline elastase YaB. Outside this grouping of the subtilisin family a further subtilisin subgroup was recently identified on the basis of the 3-D structure of its members, the TY145 like subtilisins. The TY145 like subtilisins include proteases such as TY145 (a subtilase from Bacillus sp. TY145, NCIMB 40339 described in WO 92/17577) (BSTY145), subtilisin TA41 (BSTA41), and subtilisin TA39 (BSTA39).
The PD138 type of protease was first described physico-chemically in WO 93/18140 to Novo Nordisk A/S disclosing one strain producing this type of protease. In WO 93/18140, PD138 type of protease was described based on immunological cross reaction with a polyclonal rabbit antibody directed towards the purified protease. The primary structure of the protease was not disclosed. Later the Bacillus species producing this protease was taxonomically classified as Bacillus gibsonii (Nielsen et al., 1995). The type strain of Bacillus gibsonii is identical with the strain described in WO 93/18140. WO 2003/054184 and WO 2003/054185 disclose alkaline subtilases from strains of Bacillus gibsonii. 